Overview

• Researchers documented the plant in the remote Myodia/Mayodia area of Lower Dibang Valley at about 2,400 metres in June last year.
• The formal description distinguishes it from Hemipilia puberula by its higher flower count, differing floral structures, and glabrous sepals.
• The study was led by Dr Krishna Chowlu of the Botanical Survey of India with Jambey Tsering and co-authors Abbareddy Nageswarao Rao, K Ahmed Kabeer, and Ajit Ray.
• Only a handful of flowering individuals were seen in the wild, highlighting the species' extremely limited known presence in India.
• Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu congratulated the team as experts underscored the Eastern Himalayas' 600-plus orchid species and conservation value.